I think the F-104 variants should have their historical external fuel tanks added as optional loadouts.
The F-104 was designed and operated with external fuel tanks, including the wingtip tanks and, depending on the specific variant, underwing fuel tanks. These were a normal part of the aircraft’s operation and were used to provide additional fuel for longer flights and missions.
It would be great to see these represented in War Thunder as selectable loadout options. The exact configuration could depend on the individual F-104, so each aircraft would only receive tanks that were actually used with that particular version.
Some possible options would be:
- Wingtip fuel tanks
- Underwing fuel tanks
- Historically accurate combinations of tanks and weapons
- Different tank configurations depending on the F-104 variant
I don’t think adding these should require a BR change or any major changes to the aircraft. They would simply be another loadout choice. Players who want the extra fuel could take the tanks, while players who prefer their current weapon setups could continue using them.
The tanks would also have the normal trade-off of carrying additional external equipment, so this isn’t necessarily about making the F-104 stronger. It’s mainly about giving the aircraft a configuration that it historically had.
I also think this would be particularly useful for Simulator Battles, where fuel management can be much more important during longer sorties. Having additional external fuel available would give players another realistic option without changing the aircraft itself.
With the newer Nuclear Escalation gameplay as well, having additional historical fuel configurations could be useful for F-104s that need to spend more time flying to and from objectives rather than immediately returning to rearm or refuel.
The wingtip tanks especially are a very recognizable part of the F-104, and adding them would make the aircraft feel much more complete.
Overall, I think the appropriate external fuel tanks should be added as optional, historically accurate loadouts for the F-104 variants that used them. It would improve historical accuracy, give players more flexibility in Simulator and other longer-duration battles, and shouldn’t require changing the BR, flight model, or overall role of the aircraft.